Former Chelsea star Pat Nevin believes missing out on the Champions League could really hurt the Blues.
Speaking to Grosvenor Casinos, Nevin said:
"I found it very interesting when Todd Boehly first came in. A lot of decisions made then I didn’t agree with. However, that doesn't make it wrong. But in football you need to keep the money coming in. If you're not in Champions’ League, and if you give such long contracts then there’s a problem. Chelsea were also very open about the use of algorithms and the data, which is fine. But if there is a feeling within the club or within the group, that they don't care about people, then you’ve lost them. However good the strategy looks, if you don't consider the human side, they notice this. Football fans aren't stupid. So, they find themselves now in position where they've had a terrible run. They've spent £1.8 billion on players. And then you look at the squad, and you go, ‘Really?’
"You’ve got to look at base of it. And the base of it is the finance. Does it still work? They're not going to be in Champions’ League next season by the looks of things. That's worrying. That is really concerning. You start looking at the players you bought, that you were expecting to sell at a profit and ask yourself, ‘Are you going to get a profit from most of them?’ The answer is ‘No, probably not.’ They've sold off the women's team, they've sold off the hotels and a lot of the young players who came through like Tino Livramento, and you think, ‘Wait a minute. That’s family silver. Be careful where that’s going.’ Chelsea are in an interesting place."